Giving Thanks

My Sister

My Brother

My Father

My Mother

Abby dog
Friends
Church

Illinois family

The sound of babies' babble

The Past

The Present

The Future

Crisp fall weather

The Baltimore Ravens

Grandma's homemade noodles

This morning's run

The way God speaks to my heart

Jesus

His unfailing love

His Grace

His Forgiveness

His Joy

His Presence

What are you grateful for this Thanksgiving season? 

I was reminded this morning of a video of a feeding program in the Dominican Republic.  The children in this video are from Redenccion (Redemption) Village where I'll be soon.  

The point of showing this video to you is not to make you feel guilty or selfish, but to share how good our Lord is and how He moves in the smallest of hearts!  Even though God has provided a feeding program for these children, you can see that there still isn't enough food for everyone.

The first few seconds of the clip are touching and you'll see why. 

No matter where we are in life,

how much or how little we have,

how small, big, young, or old we are,

there is always something for which to be grateful, 

and always something to share.   

I pray that your Thanksgiving is filled with joy as you remember and share the goodness of God's love!

Jackie's House

Today my head was filled with thoughts of the children at Jackie's house, an orphanage located outside the capital in the D.R.  I'm so stinkin' excited to see them again!  I can't stop thinking about it!

This summer, after my first two weeks with the Suchers, we all packed up and traveled 4 hours south to meet up with a team from UCUMC to spend time with these amazing kids at Jackie's.  Half the team primarily went to work laying a patio and building a ramp up the hill to the kitchen while the other half held a vacation bible school for the little ones and just loved on the kids.  Just guess which half I joined?

All of the children at Jackie's are special to me, and Laura was one who especially captured my heart.  We instantly bonded over how similar our names are and she reminded me of myself when I was younger, always wanting to please the teacher and help out.  Laura helped lead the praise songs and assisted the other children with their crafts.

The very last day our team was there, we brought supplies for face painting.  One of our team members is a talented face painter and volunteered her expertise.  The kids LOVED this! Laura just sat there watching every child get their face painted before her own.  Before long, Laura grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the painting seat and started painting my face.

Was my face painting a perfect butterfly like the other's?  Maybe not.  But I wouldn't trade that moment for anything! She was so proud of her artwork and I was humbled by her desire to serve me and show her love.  At the end of the day, we were the last two in the whole house who didn't wash the paint off our faces.  Sisters.

The goodbye was so tearful.  My heart breaks just thinking about it.  Through my broken Spanish, I told Laura how I wanted to come back soon and that the next time, I'd work on my Spanish.  Her response? In broken English, was that she would practice her English, too.  I need to keep true to my promise! Jackie's house is a long, bumpy ride on Dominican roads from Sosua, but I am determined to get back there soon!

Please be praying for Laura and all of Jackie's kids that they know and experience the depths of God's love for them! 

What's in a name?

You may have heard the poem "Footprints in the Sand" by Mary Stevenson.  I'm not typically one to gravitate towards these types of sentiments.  I admit, it's easy for me to write such poems off as overused or cheesy...

But let me tell you, the Lord spoke volumes into my heart this summer through this simple poem and a friend's obedient heart in sharing it with me.

The first month after returning home and feeling God's call was particularly difficult. I was struggling with overwhelming emotions with the idea of adjusting my life to God's will and the new path He had me on.

When God is at work, the enemy does everything in his power to thwart it.  I felt this firsthand.  My heart was attacked with a flood of fears and doubts.  "Did God really tell me to go?... Am I really supposed to leave children's ministry at UCUMC?... Am I doing the right thing?"

I felt immensely alone.

During this time, a friend at church sensed the Lord urging her to share "Footprints in the Sand" with me.  She even went through my albums and found a picture of me walking on the beach with one set of footprints and placed it in a frame.  This was one of the sweetest and most thoughtful gifts I could have ever received.

I had heard the poem before, but it never had spoken to me the way it did that day.  Light began pouring into the darkness, and Truth was revealed that I was not alone, nor ever will be.  The Lord was carrying me through my doubts, through my fears, and through the darkness of those days.

 I want to leave you with the poem that has given a meaningful name to this blog...

Beautiful Things

This week I had the opportunity to travel to Tampa for one last visit with the Sucher family before they head home to the Dominican Republic.  What a blessing this was!  Last night, their family was commissioned through  Countryside Christian Center, a church so radically involved in supporting missionaries around the world.  As the Suchers were being prayed over, God's Word was strongly proclaimed as a blessing over them to carry out God's Will.

I cannot wait to see all God has in store for this coming year!

Deuteronomy 8:18 was shared that evening and I tucked it away in my thoughts.  "But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today." I know I've read this passage before, but that night, God spoke powerfully through this verse to me.

After worship, a man came up to me and asked if I was going to be the girls' teacher.  I replied, "yes," and he handed me a donation, saying, "God told me to give this to you"... I was stunned.  Did that really just happen? God moved in that man's heart to support God's work in such a way... "for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth."  I was absolutely blessed by that man's generosity and I am so grateful.

I was blessed in more than one way as I had the opportunity to share my testimony and pray with a new friend I met that night.  It was absolutely God's divine timing! As we talked and shared about life circumstances, we were both reminded of our Lord's abundant grace and mercy and how He will never be ashamed of us.   Reflecting on the journey God has me on, 2 Corinthians 5:17 was brought to mind as we talked.

"Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." 

God absolutely freed my heart from past shame and has revealed how He is making us new every day.  This is a verse I will carry in my heart always. I'll leave you with a song that God has used to transform my mind and live in the goodness of His grace. God bless!

The Great Commission

This weekend I was commissioned at my church, University Carillon United Methodist Church, to serve in the Dominican Republic.  It was quite an emotional weekend as I felt so encouraged and lifted up in what God is calling me.  As I was reflecting on what it means to be commissioned, I turned to God's Word.

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus commissioned His disciples, saying:


"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20


Jesus knew the road that lay ahead for the disciples would be hard and filled with challenges, so He enabled them to go and love, teach, share, and live the gospel in a world that needed Him so badly.  Jesus promised they would never be alone for surely He was with them always.  What power and assurance!

Just like the disciples, I, too, will never be alone for God has promised Himself.  I am not going to the D.R. to do a work for Him, but to join Him where He's already at work.  There is no need to fear for God is far more invested in His Kingdom purposes than I am and He will see His plans through... (boy have I learned a lot from Experiencing God by Henry and Richard Blackaby).

But Jesus' commissioning is not reserved only for people entering the mission field.  We are all called to be the hands and feet of Jesus where God has us.  Where does He want you to share His love? With whom does He want you to teach His Word? Do not fear... He is with you to the end of the age!